Long-time Sycamore High School football coach Joe Ryan begins his final year with an optimistic look at the upcoming season. Ryan has led the Spartans for 22 years and spent another 16 years as a teacher and coach before coming to Sycamore. He reflected on a successful football program during this week’s Rotary meeting and said he likes to think students, their families, and his fellow coaches have all combined to put Sycamore “on the map” when it comes to high school football.
The three captains of the Sycamore High School football team joined coach Joe Ryan to share their thoughts on the upcoming season and their plans after high school during this week’s Rotary meeting. Pictured left to right are Cooper Bode, Kevin Lee and Owen DePauw.
Sycamore High School Head Football Coach Joe Ryan has announced his plans to retire and shared thoughts on both the upcoming season and what the last 22 years have meant to him during this week’s Rotary meeting. Ryan was joined by his three team captains, Cooper Bode, Kevin Lee, and Owen DePauw. Ryan credits his successful tenure at Sycamore to a disciplined approach to training coupled with great support from students, their families, and his coaching team. He made special mention of support from his wife who has always been by his side, originally as his girlfriend when he began his teaching and coaching career 38 years ago.
Ryan noted there have been a number of changes to the rules for playing and training over his coaching career. He said most have dealt with safety for student athletes. As an example, Ryan referenced the “Wet Bulb” test which places guidelines for practices by monitoring heat stress. The test takes into account temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar and radiant heat indexes.
Sycamore opens its football season Friday night with what Ryan called a “signature game,” the traditional rivalry between Sycamore and DeKalb. Ryan noted that the Sycamore football program has become a dominant force in the state, with some schools declining to play the Spartans because of their reputation. He said he is proud of the talent development that occurred during his tenure which includes 2 NFL players, a Super Bowl champion, a number of Division 1 college players, and leaders who are lawyers, doctors, and tradesmen making a positive difference in their communities.
August 25, 1918 – American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein is born in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
August 27, 1908 – 36th U. S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson is born near Stonewall, Texas.
August 27, 1910 – Mother Teresa is born in Skopje, Yugoslavia. Her religious order of nuns in Calcutta, India, the Missionaries of Charity, becomes famous worldwide for helping the poor and sick.
August 30, 1797 – “Frankenstein“ author Mary Shelley is born in London, England.
August 24, 79 AD – Vesuvius, an active volcano in southern Italy, erupts and destroys the city of Pompeii and also the cities of Stabiae, Oplontis, and Herculaneum.
August 24 and 25, 1814 – During the War of 1812, Washington, D.C. is invaded by British forces who burn the Capitol, the White House, and other public buildings.
August 28, 1830 – The first American-built locomotive, called “Tom Thumb”, races a horse drawn stagecoach from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills. Due to a mechanical problem, the horse wins, but the work of inventor and industrialist Peter Cooper impresses the management of the B&O Railroad and orders are placed to use mechanical power, not horsepower, for all future trains.
August 28, 1963 – The Civil Rights “March on Washington” occurs with over 250,000 attendees. It is at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King delivers his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
